Belfast was known, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as a major industrial centre - huge fortunes were made here, from the two most important industries of the North, linen and shipbuilding. In the twentieth century, however, Belfast has been known for all the wrong reasons - for violence, for hatred and bloodshed. The city has been badly affected by the turmoil that has hit Northern Ireland during the 1900s, and the battle scars still remain along with resentment that still seethes below the surface, erupting every now and then in flaming passions and streets. Recently, though, peace has started to return to the city, and with that tourism too has started to rise. The city’s got some wonderful sights, the shops are well stocked, and the entertainment scene is as lively as it can be.